Polyether ether ketone (PEEK) is a thermoplastic with excellent mechanical and chemical resistance properties that are retained through higher temperature applications. Because of these inherent properties, PEEK is an ideal material for use as a magnetic stir bar in high mechanical stress induced applications for its abrasion resistance or when chemical attacks are a concern. Some of the applications include:
Nanosuspension synthesis in drugs where the PEEK stirrer can be used to break down drug compounds in combination with zirconium oxide beads. Other materials, such as a PTFE encapsulated magnets or even stainless steel will be quickly damaged by the zirconium oxide beads, leading to sample contamination, while PEEK will remain virtually undamaged for a prolonged (8 hours) period of mixing.
Grinding wood pulp using the PEEK stirrers. One of our customers requested some of our PTFE magnetic stir bars, but quickly found out that the PTFE, because it is a soft material, was getting destroyed by the wood pulp. We recommended using one of our PEEK stir bar and the problem was solved.
The PEEK magnetic stir bars are capped off with polypropylene set screws, which also exhibit excellent chemical resistance properties. While its mechanical properties are not as great as PEEK, it is generally not a concern because the set screws are not exposed to the areas of mechanical stress.
The PEEK stirrers are also loaded with Neodymium Iron Boron (NdFeB) magnets, the strongest of the rare earth type magnets. These magnets, coupled with one of our conventional stirrers that also use NdFeB magnets, allow for stirring of very thick, dense, or viscous slurry solutions such as the wood pulp or zirconium beads.
The stir bars come in 6mm and 11mm diameters.
PEEK Polymers
When Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) polymers were first introduced, their high heat resistance, coupled with their remarkable inertness, made them an ideal material for applications that placed a device in contact with tissue and blood. PEEK polymers are not affected by most solvents, lipids or blood, and are completely unaffected by enzymes in the body. These properties make them ideal materials for long-term orthopedic implant applications such as bone screws, plates and pins, tissue anchors and suture screws.
More recently, PEEK has been used to replace metal as a hip stem component
Sterilzation Matrix of various plastics:
|
Polymer |
Steam |
Dry heat |
Ethylene oxide |
Gamma Irradiation |
Electron beam |
|
PEEK |
Good |
Good |
Good |
Good |
Good |
|
PTFE |
Fair |
Fair |
Good |
Poor |
Poor |
|
PVF |
Good |
Good |
Good |
Good |
Good |
|
Parylene C |
Good |
Good |
Good |
Good |
Good |
